Appointed through a formal procurement process to deliver a full package of strategic, technical and analytical support. Our team worked closely with Waverley’s senior officers, bringing together data from multiple sources to create a reliable baseline for decision‑making.
The client
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Services provided
The project
Waverley Borough Council asked FFT to help reshape how it manages its Housing Revenue Account (HRA) homes. With rising expectations around building safety, energy efficiency and long‑term affordability, the Council needed a clear, data‑driven strategy that could guide investment decisions over the next decade. Our commission covered three linked strands of work: a new Asset Management Strategy (2022–2030), a borough‑wide Energy Study, and a bespoke Asset Appraisal Model to support active, evidence‑based asset management.
Together, these deliverables now give Waverley a clear picture of how its homes are performing today, what investment is needed tomorrow, and where priorities should sit to improve quality, safety and sustainability for residents.
Our role
FFT was appointed through a formal procurement process to deliver a full package of strategic, technical and analytical support. Our team worked closely with Waverley’s senior officers, bringing together data from multiple sources to create a reliable baseline for decision‑making.
We:
- Led interviews, workshops and discovery sessions to understand strategic aims and operational challenges.
- Reviewed, validated and enhanced portfolio data — including EPCs, stock condition information and Keystone records — to build an accurate view of the housing stock.
- Drafted a comprehensive eight‑year Asset Management Strategy, built around four clear themes: Quality Homes, Building Safety, Asset Decarbonisation and Asset Intelligence.
- Developed a detailed Energy Study, including archetypes, improvement pathways and a costed model aligned with the Council’s carbon‑neutral ambitions.
- Created an Excel‑based Asset Appraisal Model (AAM) using financial and non‑financial metrics to assess performance at individual property level.
- Produced a joined‑up action plan, giving Waverley a realistic and deliverable roadmap to 2030.
Throughout, our approach focused on clarity, collaboration and making sure every recommendation was grounded in robust evidence.
The challenges
Waverley wanted a strategy that would be practical, future‑proof and honest about the scale of competing priorities. The key challenges included:
- Balancing multiple pressures such as decarbonisation, new building safety requirements, future Decent Homes changes, and increasing expectations around customer experience.
- Ensuring confidence in the data, given that investment decisions to 2030 must be rooted in accurate stock condition, energy and lifecycle information.
- Working at pace, with the full AMS and supporting appendices required for governance in early 2022.
- Accounting for inflation and capacity pressures in a market facing material shortages and specialist skills gaps, particularly around energy and compliance.
These challenges shaped both the strategy and the action plan, ensuring Waverley is equipped to navigate an evolving policy and delivery landscape.
Added value
What set this commission apart was the level of clarity and intelligence provided through the combined AMS, Energy Study and AAM. The work delivers:
- A strategic framework Waverley can use immediately, with clear priorities and SMART commitments.
- A more complete understanding of portfolio performance, including where homes perform strongly and where targeted intervention is needed.
- A costed and practical pathway to improving EPC performance, aligned with the Council’s climate ambitions and funding opportunities such as the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.
- Stronger foundations for procurement and investment planning, with five‑year programme planning and social value integration embedded directly into the AMS.
- Improved transparency for tenants and leaseholders, through commitments to clearer communication, compliance reporting and customer engagement.
This gives Waverley a realistic, evidence‑led roadmap — not only for improving homes, but for strengthening the service that supports them.
The outcome
Waverley now has a complete, governance‑ready Asset Management Strategy supported by a depth of insight that enables better planning, better investment and better outcomes for residents. The Energy Study provides a clear view of where improvements are needed and what they will cost. The Asset Appraisal Model gives teams a practical toolkit to assess performance and prioritise resources.
Most importantly, the work positions Waverley to make confident decisions about its homes — decisions that balance safety, affordability, sustainability and long‑term value.
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